Cuyahoga County Election Director (and former Diebold proponent), Michael Vu, described Diebold's performance yesterday as "unacceptable" after problems were revealed all across the county in the state's Primary Election.

The panoply of problems included failed Diebold machines, lack of working power outlets and three-prong adapters for them, machines unable to start up, voters unable to vote, paper jams on the "paper trail" printers, and 17,000 absentee ballots that must now be counted by hand because they don't work with the Diebold optical scanners.

All of it now leading to investigations, as called for by Elections Officials. And, of course, there was the 61-year old voter who destroyed two Diebold machines out of apparent frustration.

With all of that, who even knows yet if the tallies acquired by the machines that did "work" are actually accurate?

Below is just some of the extraordinary litany of problems revealed during elections in just that one county yesterday according to WKYC. We wish someone had warned them of the possibility of such problems in advance...

There were so many problems that there was talk of extending voting hours and concerns over counting ballots. Some politicians asked that they remain open until 9 p.m. The Garden Valley location did just that because of numerous problems. They remained open until 9:30 p.m.
...
Officials at the Board of Elections knew they'd have problems with the new machines, but say today was worse then what they expected.

Hope turned to despair at 71st and Kinsman when broken electronic voting machines forced voters to wait until 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to cast their vote.

"I was incensed when I came in this morning and electronic voting machines were down," one voter said.

The faulty machines frustrated the volunteer poll workers too who said they didn't know what to do when the machines wouldn't work.

"I know we had provisions, but we didn't know anything about the paper ballots," said poll worker Carol Hunt.

There were problems at other precincts around Cuyahoga County as well. In some cases, the voter access cards that record the ballot didn't work or the paper that records the electronic vote got jammed.

"People were waiting around to vote, unhappy and machines weren't working ... I called BOE and was put on hold 30 - 40 minutes," one person said.

The counting of votes in Cuyahoga County will not be finished Tuesday night.

It might take an additional 24 hours to count - the 17,000 absentee ballots - by hand.

There was a lot of finger pointing at the voting-machine maker Diebold.

In fact, Election Board Chairman Robert Bennett gave Diebold an "F" grade for their performance today.

At a two-hour meeting Tuesday afternoon, Diebold representatives were called on the carpet to explain why an optical scanning machine that was supposed to tally those absentee ballots failed in a test run Monday night.
...
An independent investigation is yet to come.

Really, the breakdowns can be a good thing if they wreck the auras of voting machine corporations - and the wide-eyed innocence of manipulated election officials. Maybe the more sinister issue of election fraud will be easier to see.

COMMENT #3 [Permalink]...
The Old Turk
said on 5/3/2006 @ 11:56 am PT...

You grow ever more childish by the day. Greens and Libertarians are the only ones actually pursuing this matter in the capacity that they can. Ohio Democrats are basically Republicans of another stripe, you should know that by now.

Turky,

Brad has been writing about this train-wreck for quite awhile. There's only so much one man can do.

Dread is in Denial. He has unconditional support and allegiance for the Dems and wears thick blinders when it comes to the Pro-war Dead Democratic Party.

Dread also spams Brad's blog with his posts. If you go to Comment #14 in this thread: "'Surprising' Number of Ohio Republicans Say No to Ney," you will see the exact same childish post there that Dread posted here as comment #1.

And yet this hypocrite, Dread, whined yesterday about me saying the same thing over and over again (particularly my reference to the "Pro-war Dead Democratic Party").

I don't copy and paste my posts (spam) from one thread to the other like Dread does. I do say some of the same things repeatedly because I feel they need to be said repeatedly (especially when one is dealing with someone as thick as Dread), but I always write each post out fresh. I never copy and paste.

Ever notice how when Diebold machines are working for the banks and can't cheat, they work perfectly every time in all kinds of weather while something as simple as recording a few pieces of information that can be skewed to adversely affect the outcome of an election is never trustworthy?

Automatic teller machines seem to be able to take deposits, give balances, dispense money, and do some other things with hardly a glitch at all, providing the customers (the banks) with a reliable system. It's when it comes to cooking the books that the problems seem to arise.

Hey. Why are you ganging up on Dredd? Are you mental?
sar·casm Pronunciation Key (särkzm)
n
...2. A form of wit that is marked by the use of sarcastic language and is intended to make its victim the butt of contempt or ridicule.

If you look back historically at Dredds posts, you'll see where he's coming from. The plan is to get Democrats into power, but don't take the steps necessary to make that happen. Don't talk about impeachment, don't force candidates to talk about e-voting, don't turn off 'swing voters'. Just trust 'the people' to 'do the right thing'.

Operating under the premise that the midterm elections will be a cakewalk because some poll gives Democrats a generic ten point lead is dangerous. The "safe" strategy failed "most electable" John Kerry, and he immediately conceded before looking into voting anomolies in Ohio.

Some folk don't like anyone to blindly accuse if it is not them. There are a few here who "reserve the right" to falsely accuse. I am moving in on their territory. Ooooooooh hotsie they got ... "like I knew that they would now"

They got no friggin proof, just accusations inside. Tryin to clean 'em up a bit. You know how it is with amateurs ... but you got it!

Colbertism really brings it out doesn't it ... lets hope they don't walk out on us ... after all these years ... like bu$hit did to Colbert ... (at least some of them)

No wonder the congress is a dictatorship. Most americans do not know how it works, and hope to stop the republican dictatorship with UFO politics.

There are about 55 million registered Republicans and about 72 million registered Democrats (link here).

They answer the question "How do you stop a republican dictatorship?" with the answer "gold plated UFO's". Fine, let them be whiners for the rest of their ill fated lives ... I want to stop a disaster ... that's all.

I'm fairly new to Brad's Blog but what you wrote is pretty much what I've concluded about Dread as well.

His thinking is also delusional (wishful thinking).

The Dems don't deserve to take back anything. Based on their Bush Enabling since 2000, they don't deserve that reward. They deserve to be kicked to the curb, just like any other employee in a business who fails to do their job. The Dems have failed to do their job as a unified OPPOSITION party. Instead, for the most part, they have been the Bush Enabling Party.

We need a SECOND party. Although I know there are many people like Dread. I've tried to talk with them. I've heard some people say, "I am a Democrat and I will always be a Democrat. I was raised as a Democrat. And I'll be a Democrat until the day I die."

Personally, I was a Democrat until shortly after the 2000 stolen "election." Then after I saw this party and most of its members crawl up to Bush's ass and pretty much set up shop there ever since as resident Bush Ass Eaters, I said to hell with them. I want no part of them whatsoever.

I refer to people like Dread as "fundamentalist Democrats" because they approach this dead party just like fundamentalist Christians approach their church and their god. Constantly cheer-leading for them and (as I've said previously) with blind allegiance and unconditional support.

Oregonians cannot sit back smugly saying everything is just fine because we have mail in paper ballots. ES&S optiscan machines count those ballots and they are failing all over the nation.

And when I made an inquiry about certification and procedures to assure integrity with my Clackamas County Elections Director I got a pat on the head and a patronizing: "checks and balances are in place."

If bad actors want to they can input info into or out of the memory cards or muck with the computer that tabulates all the info from the precincts.

We need to advocate for a law to HAND COUNT the paper ballots - in a public forum with as many observers as may be interested in observing.

Well said, but the reality is that they must take back the congress, if only to give people like Conyers and Feingold subpoena power. If that means putting 5 in the senate and 15 in the house, so be it.

The problem is how the party is going about doing it. They already made a huge mistake taking Hackett out of the Ohio race, but there are a few others worth supporting. Fundamentalist Democrats and Republicans alike are why the system is dysfunctional, so when 2008 comes around it's every man and woman for themselves.

It is delusional to think that Democrats will retake either house simply because they are Democrats, and it's delusional to think they will get a free pass from third parties in 2008. They need to clean up their act, and fast.

Well really, I think the Dems want to "keep their powder dry" for 2008. (The "powder" they willingly gave to the Repugs in 2000? That powder? The powder they keep talking about keeping dry?) That's what I've heard from some insiders. I don't think the Dems are really that interested in gaining any seats in the Congress to tell you the truth. I think they are quite comfortable with the status quo.

Do I think they will take back anything in November? HELL NO! In part, because of the e-voting trainwreck and also because the e-voting machines are easily hackable without detection. As in "elections" since 2000, make the "election" look close (49% to 51%, for example) regardless of the number of people who vote and regardless of which candidate they really voted for. Who will challenge the Repug victory? No one. A wetnoodle John Kerry type candidate will concede the very next morning, just like Kerry did in 2004.

Unless the Bush Crime Family have something else planned (another staged 911) between 2006 and 2008, I don't think they will allow the Dems to take back anything. The Repugs/PNAC neocons are not about to give up any of their power.

I don't think Dictator Bush has any plans of leaving in 2009 and there is no one to force him out. And especially with Alito on the bench who believes in the "unitary executive" concept for Bush. It should be pointed out that Alito is on the bench because of the YES votes he received from the Pro-war Dead Democratic Party. Yet another one of their failures.

When someone in the Bushit administration performs illegal acts, lies, avoids truth like it's a sacred needle in the hay stack not to be located, history dictates they get a raise with a promotion and some overt complimentary favortism.

How bout Brad's BRADBLOG HERO/S OF THE WEEK:

Every Friday create a thread to pick one winner out of 4 different candidates (people with the corresponding clickable thread they appeared on.)

C. (Sarcasm counts) - Scumbag Kenneth Blackwell WHO is now running for governor. As corrupt Republican Secretary of State in Ohio, he acted as a Bush/Cheney henchman by obstructing in the 2004 Presidential election and faux recount to give Bush a rigged Ohio red state victory. He now uses religious gatherings at black churches as a way to spread his disease.

D. (TBA) To be announced.

Note: No rules. It can be anyone associated with a Bradblog thread and there can be repeat winners.

Disclaimer: Like in US elections your vote DOES NOT count but have fun voting like it really DOES anyway.

When someone in the Bushit administration performs illegal acts, lies, avoids truth like it's a sacred needle in the hay stack not to be located, history dictates they get a raise with a promotion and some overt complimentary favortism.

How bout Brad's BRADBLOG HERO/S OF THE WEEK:

Every Friday create a thread to pick one winner out of 4 different candidates (people with the corresponding clickable thread they appeared on.)

C. (Sarcasm counts) - Scumbag Kenneth Blackwell WHO is now running for governor. As corrupt Republican Secretary of State in Ohio, he acted as a Bush/Cheney henchman by obstructing in the 2004 Presidential election and faux recount to give Bush a rigged Ohio red state victory. He now uses religious gatherings at black churches as a way to spread his disease.

D. (TBA) To be announced.

Note: No rules. It can be anyone associated with a Bradblog thread and there can be repeat winners.

Disclaimer: Like in US elections your vote DOES NOT count but have fun voting like it really DOES anyway.

I agree that the Democratic Party has lost it's way. A couple options that we are faced with are as follows:

1. Start a new party to replace the obsolete and corrupt Democratic Party: This would take much, much work to accomplish as at first glance it would look like another fringe group such as Greens and Independants. Returns on such an orchestrated effort could take years to catch up to the already established Democratic Party

2. Take back the Democratic Party: Perhaps it's not the Party itself that is defunct. But that we have too many Laissez Faire style politicians who are primarily interested in feathering their nest regardless of the harm their misrepresentation of the people causes. By getting involved in politics on a municipal level you can keep an eye out for true progressives and give them your support. Challenge any imposters as evidence of their Democraticaly incompatible connections, values and agendas comes to light.

I think taking advantage of the existing infrastructure of the Democratic Party could provide a ready platform. We just need to get people who have demonstrated a true desire to ensure that the social safety nets that makes the United States not only a land of opportunity, but a country that takes care of it's working class while still allowing people to pursue their goals and careers in a responsible and rewarding fashion which is the hallmark of a free country. Roosevelt understood the importance of such public services.

I guess it boils down to this: If regressive and greedy people can usurp control of the Republican Party, why can't progressives take control of the husk that is currently called the Democratic Party?

When said in # 15 that BVAC was right, I wasn't referring to #1. That seemed kinda like a joke to me. I was referring to # 14. It struck me as funny that BVAC accuses Dredd of being "childish" - not really in this case, I'm thinking - then the next Dredd entry I see is close to the most childish I've seen to date. Gettin' close to Rush Limbaughish... on the left side of the aisle, of course.

Note: It ain't the Democratic party looking into the electronic vote rigging issue..they are still looking for OJ's glove. Kerry has been about as involved with this issue as the next fun loving Democratic scull and bones leader(?) It's bout time Congress votes themselves another raise for a job "well done" so they can all afford to go to the www.loosechange911.com website and order video to see what really happened on the the George W. Bush holiday known as 9/11. YOu have an ideal they might already know???

Caesius # 29 - Good, reasonable post. I would like to see some serious thinking on how it can be done. (Your #2) Trouble is, the Democratic Party is a husk of a peoples party, but it still comprises part of the octopus of money connections and bribery which is the central influence and drives the mechanics of campaigning and legislation. (e.g. Opened up my paper this morning - First article I see "AT&T nets $1.7M for Democrats""...lobbyists and business executives paid between $10,000 and $45,000 for a weekend outing with state lawmakers...among the most lucrative fundraisers...legislation introduced that would allow telecommunications companies to get into the cable business...the bill, AB-2987, would...eliminate the ability of city or county to negotiate with local cable TV companies...AT&T stands to benefit..."

I was at the Democratic State Convention in Sacramento last weekend trying to convince the delegates to support a call for impeachment - a very reasonable thing to do under the circumstances. (And it would have had such an explosive effect coming from the largest single political organization in the U.S.) Enthusiastic, militant progressive Dems were doing their civic duty and angry as hell, but drowned in the wash of bland self-serving and the infamous "Hospitality Rooms".

A few days after the 2004 election, Molly Ivins was writing that everyone who was upset ought to chill out, go barbecue a steak and have a beer. She was utterly oblivious of what had really happened.

Molly is a funny gal, and she does have a good ear for Bush's foibles. But she's like mainstream Democrats and the mainstream (corporate) media in that election fraud is just too much for her to handle. Maybe it's because she doesn't understand how voting equipment can be rigged (many of us don't); maybe it's because she doesn't do mathematics, and thus can't understand how impossible a 5-1/2% discrepancy between exit polls and tabulated votes really is; maybe it's because she honestly believes Bush was elected by a fair process.

Molly is lazy, I suspect. She won't take the time to do her homework; much easier to write clever stuff about Bush and be the Texas version of Maureen Dowd. She's second-rate.

Well I never suggested that it would be easy. I do agree that there should be significant reforms made to Electoral laws as well as Lobbying laws if the playing field is to be rendered a bit more even.

I don't pretend to have all the answers, just weighing the difference in difficulty between starting a new party from scratch and infiltrating/cleaning up the Democratic Party.

I truly hope that this massive Election fraud program becomes exposed and dismantled.

I also truly hope that a re-energized Democratic Party (or any party that can gain comparable support but with more progressives) can push through legislation that will break this unholy marriage with big industry.

I should say that the California Dems did officially call for an "investigation" and I don't want to leave the impression that they completely submitted to "business as usual". But calling for an investigation is so easy (and so usual). Calling for impeachment would be a necessary leap saying, "We mean business." Too bad it didn't happen. (It was not from lack of enthusisam for it among grassroots Democrats.)

“The California Democratic Party calls for the
immediate investigation of the President and Vice
President of the United States for committing the
following alleged acts:

1. Misleading Congress and the American public about an unproven and unrealized threat to national security by Iraq in order to justify war thereby violating the federal anti-conspiracy statute and the False Statement Accountability Act.

2. Ordering the National Security Agency to conduct
electronic surveillance of American citizens without
seeking warrants from the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Court of Review, as required by law.

3. Violating the “Federal Torture Act” Title 18
United States Code, Section 113C and the UN Torture Convention and the Geneva Convention, which are U.S. law under Article VI of the U,S. Constitution.

4. Ordering indefinite detention of accused persons
without access to legal counsel, without charge, and
without the opportunity to appear before a civil
judicial officer to challenge the detention, all in
violation of U.S. law and the Bill of Rights.

Sufficient questions have been raised in public
discourse, in the press, and on the floor of Congress to warrant an investigation of these and other alleged crimes, misdemeanors, and acts of misfeasance and malfeasance, and to merit an investigation into the propriety of impeachment.”

After the proclamation was read, it was adopted by the Democratic State Central Committee enthusiastically amidst the chanting “IMPEACH IMPEACH” by the audience.

Probably self-explanatory, but the "Hospitality Rooms" I mentioned in #33 are where legislators and delegates are wined, dined, and bribed and where our so-called republic is mocked.

Sorry - getting way off the main subject of this thread - Diebold disaster in Ohio.

"If regressive and greedy people can usurp control of the Republican Party, why can't progressives take control of the husk that is currently called the Democratic Party?"

Why? Because of ES&S, Diebold, Sequoia et al.

From reading your post I am reminded of a recent article by Molly Ivins. She said that she will not be supporting that pro-war piece of work Hillary in 2008 (who is to the right of Bush on Iran) and Ivins said that we need to find a true progressive candidate and work hard for that person for president in 2008. As much as I appreciated her article and what she had to say, my response to it was:

Molly, have you forgotten about the stolen "elections" of 2000, 2002 and 2004? Why do you think 2006 or 2008 will be any different? If anything, e-voting has gotten worse not better!

As I said at that time on another website in a post:

FIRST: The very FIRST thing that must happen for any real change to occur in this country is for our election system to be restored to a fair, legitimate and honest system.

SECOND: THEN work hard for your progressive candidate. Because until that time, it's really a waste of time to be working for progressive candidates when in the end the public will be voting on easily rigged and hackable e-voting machines which have a ton of problems just on their own. And they have consistently selected Repugs in the general and midterm "elections."

We must return to paper ballots/pencils with the ballots counted with members of the public present. Only then will we begin to have a chance of having fair elections and having true progressives really elected.

How likely is my suggestion to become reality? Not very realistic at the way things are going. According to what I've read on here, Florida under Jeb Bush has already made it illegal to return to paper ballots/pencils. How convenient! And Ohio, whew!: